rite of access
curated by harm van den dorpel, emer m. grant, and lua vollaard
included works
press release
from 7 september – 20 october 2019 left gallery will take residence in a brick and mortar public art institution: stroom den haag.
left gallery is an online platform that produces and sells works of art as downloadable objects. These objects exist in limited editions, available for purchase. once purchased, buyers receive a cryptographic ‘token’ as proof of ownership. in rite of access, this token mechanism creates the conditions to access the works on display: engagement of visitors, such as purchases and social media activity operate as a stream of credit, which allow the works to remain on view. follow left gallery on twitter or subscribe to the mailinglist, and the time to see the complete works increases; unlike its pages, and access may be denied. a purchase made through left gallery anywhere in the world extends the display of the works at stroom den haag. so long as sufficient credit remains, visitors can access all works within the project.
left gallery investigates access to public art by transforming notions of ownership. by guaranteeing the artificial scarcity of objects in their portfolio, left gallery seeks to uncover the invisible degrees of access that are encoded in consuming art in a public institution. through the proposal of a model that democratises ownership of works of art, the stroom gallery space operates as a ‘serving suggestion’, showing how the works could be installed in a domestic setting once purchased.
the objects in rite of access represent part of left gallery’s portfolio as well as new works, commissioned for this project. works include screensavers, a flight simulator, ebooks, an alarm clock, apps, merch, and an AI assistant.
left gallery is the second guest in the programme "our house, your home", in which stroom den haag invites international organisations to take over the exhibition space, to do the things they find most urgent, fitting, or challenging.
the programme of stroom is made possible through the generous support of the Mondriaan Fonds and the City of The Hague - Municipality.
exhibition design by laurel schwulst. many thanks to paloma rodríguez carrington, justice thélot, sam hart, and full node berlin.
stroom den haag is open wednesday through sunday 12:00 – 17:00
its spaces are accessible by wheelchair.
Stroom Den Haag
Hogewal 1-9
2514 HA Den Haag
The Netherlands